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Ei̇́sarna
Ei̇́sarna, formally the 'Kingdom of Ei̇́sarna '(Reigir Ei̇́sarna), is a pseudo-constitutional monarchy located in the eastern sphere of Owlia, bordering the East Owlian Republic. The capital, known as Īsarnbherg or the Iron Keep, is a monumental building complex containing some of the largest and tallest buildings in all of Owlia, and is one of the region’s main centres of development. By contrast, much of the remainder of the nation’s territory still consists of undeveloped wilderness, stalked by armed dissidents. History The whole area was sparsely populated just prior to the arrival of the Pálowan. An indigenous civilization had flourished in the region in previous centuries, but is believed to have collapsed as early as 300 BCE. Remains of ancient buildings are still to be found along the coast to the south of modern Īsarnbherg, and old shipwrecks continue to be discovered; an abundance of artefacts from these ancients has been collected, and while the language has yet to be deciphered, the glyphs are similar to those used by the later Sea Peoples and Pillagers. Īsarnbherg itself was founded by Pálowan peoples in the mid-7th century as Keridhón or ‘dark mountain’, from which the Lanternese term Cheridon originates. It began as a far-flung mining and metalworking outpost on the extreme southern edge of the Pálowan world, said to be founded by a mixture of outcasts and visionaries; the outpost benefitted from a highly-defensible clifftop position, surrounded on three sides by river and sea, and at one side by tall mountains, while also lying at the conjunction of several trade routes. Growth was however slow during the early years as raids by Sea Peoples were frequent, and the focus of the Pálowan world remained centred on the more peaceful and prosperous islands to the north. Records from this time are sparse, but it seems a low point was reached during the occupation of the nearby Lantern Islands by the Sea Peoples during the 660’s, at which point trade routes collapsed and a siege mentality seems to have set in. While some of the founders fled at this time, others rallied behind the first true King of Īsarnbherg, Osli I, who began the great construction project that would become the Iron Keep; it is believed that King Osli and several of Īsarnbherg’s founding fathers had spent time in the mysterious undercity of Wungaria, and there is clear evidence of advanced Wungarian masonry techniques being used in the foundations of the capital. By the time the initial phase of the Iron Keep was completed in the late 670’s, the threat of the Sea Peoples had diminished, the Lantern Islands had liberated themselves from their oppressors, and trade in the region began to recover. Now known as Īsarnbherg, the settlement soon became a trade center in its own right, emerging as the main producer of iron and other mineral resources in the Pálowan world. Farming villages sprang up near the Keep to meet growing demand for food, and voyagers from Īsarnbherg set up colonies of their own among the nearby islands, at which point the expanded domains of Īsarnbherg began to become known as the Reigir Ei̇́sarna - the Kingdom of Ei̇́sarna, or simply Ei̇́sarna, a name further derived from the proto-Pálowan word for ‘Iron’. With the ascent of Osli I’s grandaughter, Sarasna I, to the Iron throne in 680 CE, there was encouragement of direct trade with the Landing region, the queen herself making several visits to Clifftown and Skulltown in her younger years. This trade generated a huge amount of material and scientific wealth, and triggered a technological revolution throughout the 680’s and 690’s, fuelling a great expansion of literacy, settlement and building works back in the capital. The descendents of the initial Pálowan population now began to mingle with increasing numbers of settlers from Landing, East Owlia and native towns. The actual edifice of the Iron Keep continued to be built up in stages under different architects, itself becoming something of a self-contained town, until its massive foundations finally began to show signs of stress; the Keep reached its current height by around 700 CE, at which point it had become the centre of gravity of the Pálowan world. However, all was not peaceful in Ei̇́sarna. The 700’s saw a series of incursions into the kingdom’s northern territory by Pillager hordes which, although unable to threaten the Iron Keep itself, did significant damage to surrounding farming villages, in some cases leaving them uninhabited for decades afterwards. The situation began to improve by 710 CE, at which point construction began on the monumental Temple of Victory in Īsarnbherg as a place to display the many banners and weapons captured from defeated Pillagers. The great temple aslo served as a memorial to fallen warriors, and - with its towering statues - to serve as a reassuring message of Ei̇́sarnan power and confidence. The Pillagers were gradually whittled down to small bands of dissidents, but the threat could not be extinguished fully. By this point the expanding urban center of Īsarnbherg was rapidly absorbing its old farmlands, and combined with the devastation in the north, was reliant on food imports from the native township of Sesmikattá located in south; this town had been declared a protectorate in 690 CE, and had already been developed as a farming and crafting hub by the Pálowan. The town also attracted the attention of East Owlian merchants. By the time of its official annexation by Ei̇́sarna in 715 CE, the town was experiencing a population boom, and many inhabitants were leaving for new lives both in Īsarnbherg and overseas. Today, the Sesmikán diaspora is in fact to be found intermingled throughout the Pálowan world, and many of the Iron Queen’s highest ministers are ethnic Sesmikáns. Ei̇́sarna has allowed a large degree of local autonomy for Sesmikattá, but the question of ever gaining full independence remains a divisive issue among the diaspora. The 720s brought a further transformation to Ei̇́sarna, as expeditions using Clifftown-built flying machines reached far-away Wanakusuma and Caeshe, brining back tales of exotic culture and architecture. A few years later, the opening of a grand new railway to the shores of East Owlia also increased the rate of contact with the Lanternese, both sides increasingly open to tourism. By this time a new timber industry had developed around imported Acacia trees which grew well in the soils of Ei̇́sarna, their bright-red wood began to be used extensively in building projects which, combined with the use of more colourful stones and terracotta, began to slowly transform the appeareance of the city. This was an outwards manifestation of a decade in which the grey, austere, stoic culture of the older Pálowan began to clash with the more colourful, creative and optimistic culture of the younger generations born from the mixing of cultures and bloodlines. Queen Sarasna, born in the reign of her grandfather, had now reached old age herself, and official duties were increasingly taken up by the High Marshall, who faced the difficult task of trying to balance the growing tensions and conflicts within the kingdom. A daring Pillager terrorist attack on the Iron Keep in 729 CE, while unsuccessful in its aims of killing any members of the government, served to increase tensions and shake confidence in the Iron Throne. The attackers managed to breach the corridors of the Iron Keep and even entered its famous Great Hall before being neutralised. Accusations and counter-accusations of conspiracy and collusion were thrown around, and public opinion became ever more divided and entrenched, as the military and security forces were strengthened against further terror attacks. It is believed these events also influenced a shift towards right-wing politics in East Owlia and renewed tensions along the as-yet ill-defined frontier between the two states. Heading into the 730’s, the city of Īsarnbherg began to expand across the ‘Iron River' to its east with the construction of a large new stock exchange building, intended as the core of a new financial and legal district; the Queen and High Marshall announced plans for a new dedicated public courthouse, tax reforms, and the summoning of a parliament to discuss the future of the kingdom. But despite this modernising agenda, tensions on the streets of Īsarnbherg continue to rise. The issue of succession adds to the thorny mix of issues - Ei̇́sarna is officially an elective monarchy, but lacks a written constitution, and as the aging queen is childless, there are no clear favourites for succession. The 730s would be a fateful decade for the whole country...